Ambitious targets for 55 per cent of young people to have a university degree by 2035, including those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, have no basis in reality and do not take into account the hopes and ambitions of the people they are seeking to help, says a leading scholar in higher education.

“There is zero chance that the massive numbers the government is talking about can be achieved by 2035. It’s about 10 percentage points above the peak attainment levels we’ve ever seen and that is migrants with skilled qualifications and international students who stay on,” said Andrew Norton, ahead of speaking on a panel at the AFR Higher Education Summit on Tuesday.